Steering means for vessels.



H. HERTZBERG @L M. J. WOHL. STEERING MEANS FOP. VBSSELS. APPLIUATIONFILED 19110.12, 190s. 980,156. Patente@ new?. 910.

wit/nwo@ @Www/W H. HERTZBERG &M. J. WOHL. STEERING MEANS PonVBssBLs.APPLICATION FILED DBG.12, 190B.

Patented Dec.27,191o.

QQ) i 'f4/yemas UNITED STATFWFATENT OFFICE.

HARRY HERTZBERG ANI) MAURICE J'. WO1-IL, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIG'NORST0 MAURICE J. WO1-IL AND HARRY HERTZBERG, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND ABBOTA. lLOW, 0F HORSESHOE, NEW YORK, TRUSTEES.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dee. 27, 1910.

Application filed December 12, 1908. Serial N o. 467,234.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Hanni* Hnnrznnno and MAURICE J. VVOHL, citizens ofthe United States, and residents, respectively, of the city of New York,borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, and of thecity of New York, borough of Manhattan, county of New York, State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in SteeringMeans for Vessels, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to steering means for vessels or other vehiclesand has for its object the provision of means for automaticallysteer-ing and controlling the operation of the same by the compass.

In the embodiment of the inventionherein shown and described a variablespeed control is provided and the steering of the vessel is accomplishedautomatically without the use of a rudder.

The invention is shown as applied to vessel having two lpropellersdriven independently by a number of electric motors, the operatingcurrent for which is supplied by a number of direct connected generatorsets driven by internal combustion engines of the kerosene type. Thisarrangementprovides great economy in fuel space and possesses many otheradvantages which par-r ticularly adapt the same for use in thisconnection. The two sides or sets of generators, motors and propellersare independent and areso arranged that the separate units can bedisconnected or connected together in dilferent combinations, thusproautomatically and which will be described more fully hereinafter.

' In the drawings accompanying this speciicatic'tlike parts in theseveral views have been lgiv n the same reference numbers.

Figu er1 is a plan View showing diagrammatically the arrangements of thevariousl be desired.

the controllers 19 and 20 are also connected parts of the system. Fig. 2is an enlarged plan View, partially in section, showing a portion of thesteering mechanism.

In a copending application, tiled by Harry Hertz'berg, Aug. 14th, 1906,Ser. No. 330,613, the arrangement for a compass controlling device isfully explained. Such a device may be used in connection with thissystem, the compass being shown on the drawings at 1 and-the circuitcloser at 2. The circuit closer 2 is operated by the magnetic action ofthe compass needle and moved to one side or the other to close thecircuit and operate either of the solenoids 3 or fl, as will beexplained more fully hereinafter.. Theseoperating solenoids 3 and 11 ocrate the shafts and 6 through a set of di eren- 'tial gears in oppositedirections and these in turn rotate the shafts 7 and in a like manner. Anumber of rheostats 9 and l() are ranged to be operated from the shafts7 and A direct connected generating sets, shown at 21, which supplycurrent to the main busses 22 and 23 from which the current is suppliedto the motors 11 and 12 through the several circuits, as shown inFig. 1. Main. switches are shown at 24, 25 and 26 by means of which thecurrent from the generators 21. may be distributed entirely to one setor the other ofthe motors 11 and 12 or ma be divided between the same.Current indicators or arnmeters A, indicate the current flowing oneither side of the system. The driving motors 11 and 12 are arranged tobe connected to the drivin@ shafts 13 and V14, respectively, byindependent clutches so that any one or more ofthe motors may be connected or disconnected from the same as may The field rheostats 9 and 10and nected or disconnected from the same as.

their respective motors are thrown into or *with the Cgear 3l to providefor hand steering respectively, and are driven by the beveled.

ear 31 which is arranged to slide upon its s aft 32 into and out ofengagement with the same. A hand wheel 33 is also slidably `mounted uponthe shaft 32 in connection if desire A pair of contacts 34 and 35 aremounted upon the gear 31 and shaftl32', respectively, and arranged toclose the circuit when the gears 29,` 3() and 31 are in mesh through theleads 36-a11d 37. A switch may be provided in the circuit 36-37 ifdesired for opening the same when the steering is to be doneby lia-nd.

The-operation of the device for automatically steering is as follows!The compass "l is set 'for the required direction and the operatingmotors 11 and '12 are connected to the propeller shafts 13 and 14 bymeans of their respective clutches. By means of these clutches any oneof these motors may be connected or disconnected for providing more orless power as may be desired. The motors are started by` means of thehand wheels 15 and 16 operating the controllers 19 and 20, respectively.The gear 31 is slid into engagement with the gea-rs 29 and 3() and theoperating circuit through the lines 3G and 37 is closed through thecontacts 34 and 35 as described. Assuming now that the vessel,

changes its course slightly, the compass will throw the circuit closer 2to one side or the other. Assuming the same is thrown to the right thecircuit will be closed through the right hand solenoid 3 and thesolenoid core 38 will be moved to the left, moving the ratchet arm 39into engagement with the ratchet wheel 40, which is mounted upon the'the solenoid 3.

shaft 32, causing the same to be rotated until the solenoid core 38reaches the position shown in'dotted outline on the 2 when the'lange 41,which is carried by solenoid 38, engages the switch 42, throwing thesame to the position shown in dotted outline and disconnecting thecircuit through A compression sn'ing 43 now operates to throw thesolenoi core 38 back to its initial position and, if the circuit closer2 is still in its closed position, the

same operation will be repeated. Should the vessel in the meantime,however, have resumed its course the circuit closer 2 will have openedthe circuit and the solenoid 3 will not operate the second time. It isdesirable to have the ratchet arm 39 arranged so as to be out ofengagement with the ratchet whecl 4() when the solenoid is in itsinoperative position and li kewise the ratchet arm of the solenoid 4 outof engagement with its ratchet Wheel in order to permit the shaft 32 tobe rotated freely by the hand wheel 33 when the steering is done byhand.

At one end of the solenoid core a piston 44 is provided and arranged tobe reciproeated 1n a chamber 45. A connecting pipe 4G is providedbetween the two ends ot the chamber 45 from the opposite sides of thepiston 44 and a valve 47 controls the escape of the iiuid from one sideto the other of t lc said piston as the same is reciprocated. By thismeans the length of time required for one operation of the solenoid justdcscribed may be regulated and an intermittent control of the steeringis provided. The

operation of the solenoid 4 at the left is the l' just. described. .ltwill be seen that the rotation of the shaft 32 and the gear 31 causesthe shafts 5 and 6 to rotate in opposite directions. This iscommunicated by means of the shafts 7 and 8 to the field controllers 9and 10, respectively, which in turn con trol the eld current and,consequently, the speed of the driving motors 11 and 12 and as the speedof one is increased the speed of the other will be decreased, thuschanging the course of the vessel by varying the speed of thepropellers. By means of the controllers operated from the hand Wheels 15and 16 either or both of the sets of driving motors may be reversed ifdesired and thus the change of direction of the vessel accomplished muchmore quickly. Hand wheels 48 and 49 are provided for the shafts 7. and8, respectively, and by throwing the gear 31 out of mesh the speed ofthe two sets of driving motors may be varied independently.

It will'thus be seen that a. very flexible system of control is providednot only for the steering but also for the propelling of the vessel andthat the two sides may be en tirly independent or operated together atw1 The intermittent control of the automatic operation of the steeringmay be adjusted to a great degree of ImCety, whereby the course of thevessel may be altered as slowly as may be desired and suiiicient timeprovided between these successive operations for the direction of thevessel to be changed. The advantage of this feature of the inventionwill be obvious, for were thc increased speed of one of thc propellerscontinued until the proper direction was reached the inertia of thevessel would carry the same beyond this point and it would becomenecessary to reverse the operation in order to brin the same back to thecourse.

As many c anges could be made in the erated ley said compass forcontrolling said driving,` means. A

A. vehicle having a plurality of propellers, separate means for drivingsaid propellers in unison, and means for automatically and momentarilyvarying the relative feed of said driving inea-ns.

A vehicle having a plurality of pro- ]'ielers each of which is providedWith a pln rality of independent driving units, a plurality ofindependent means for cutting out f one or more' of said. drivingunits,- and means fior automatically varying the operation of saiddriving umts whereby said pro pellers may be driven at different speeds.

A vessel having a plurality of ropel Iers, operating motors for saidpropel ers, mechanism arranged to be opera-ted inter mittently tocontrol said motors, and means for varying the periodicity of saidintermittent operation.

A vessel having a plurality of pro peilers, 4operating motors for saidpropellers,

mechanism arranged to he vautomatically operated intermittently tocontrol said motors, and means for varying the periodicity of saidintermittent operation.

6. In combination with a vehicle, a pair of propellers, motors fordriving said propel- 1ers, field rheostats for controlling the speed ofsaid motors, electrically operated means for operating said rheostats,and a compass Aadapted to control the operation of said last namedmeans.

7.' In combination with a vehicleLa pair of propellers. motors fordrivin said propel- 1ers, field rheostats for control. ing the speed ofsaid motors, electrically operated ratchet devices for operating saidrheostats, and a compass adapted to control the operation of saidratchet devices.

8. In combination with a v'eiic-le, a pair of propellers, motors fordriving said prepailers, field rheostats :tor controliing the speed ofsaid motors, ratchet devices adapted to be automatically operatedintermittently to operate said rheostats, a compass, and elecm tricallyoperated means controlled automatically by said compass for operating'said, ratchet devices.

Signed at Brooklyn, N. Y. city, in the county of Kings and State of NewYork, this 3d day of December, 1903.

HARRY HERTQZBEEG. MAURCE il 'WGHL..

llitnesses:

Lewis W'. Hasnins, Gao. VVELLXNG (insolites.

